Shutter device

ABSTRACT

A shutter device embodying a mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter, a feeler sensitive to external thermal and light radiation, the feeler being coupled with the raising and lowering mechanism and upon exceeding a predetermined radiation intensity triggering the mechanism for lowering the shutter.

Umted States Patent 1 [111 3,860,055

Wild Jan. 14, 1975 SHUTTER DEVICE 899,460 9/1908 Mccloud 160/6 x 1,124,969 1 1915 St k 11.... 49 2 X [751 Invemo Stafa Swlizefland 2,083,726 6/1937 M2201? 160/5 x 73 Assigneez s f Control System G Stafa, 3,403,472 10/1968 Raucourt 49/31 swltlerland FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: June 4, 1973 711,635 6/1965 Canada [60/] 68,076 12/1948 Denmark 1 49/2 [21] APPI- N04 366,711 1,022,589 3/1966 Great Britain 49/31 [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner-J. Karl Bell June 22, 1972 Switzerland 9409/72 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Werner Kleeman [52] US. Cl 160/1, 49/2, 160/5, 57 S R CT [51] Int Cl E05 A shutter device embodying a mechanism for raising [58] Fie'ld and lowering the shutter, a feeler sensitive to external 49/2 [35 2 thermal and light radiation, the feeler being coupled with the raising and lowering mechanism and upon ex- [56] References Cited ceeding a predetermined radiation intensity triggering UNITED STATES PATENTS the mechanism for lowering the shutter. 216,313 6/1879 Crouch 49/2 x 13 Claims 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN 1 4l975 SHUTTER DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a new and improved shutter device of the type equipped with a mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter.

As a general rule such shutter devices serve to block excessive outside radiation of heat and light from room areas for the purpose of maintaining as uniform as possible the climatic conditions with these room areas. This can only be satisfactorily realized if the shutter is lowered or raised at the correct moment -whether this be through drive motor means or manually. To achieve the same it is necessary that there be present an individual who initiates actuation of the shutter. As soon as no person is available influencing the climatic conditions of the room through actuation of the shutters becomes illusory, i.e., making use or blocking respectively the thermal rediation arriving from the outside.

Especially in the case of climatized buildings, particularly office buildings, it is possible for the thermal radiation which arrives from the'outside to bring about overloading of the climatizing or air conditioning installation in the manner that over a longer or shorter period of time it is no longer capable of maintaining the adjusted climatic conditions for the rooms. This is especially the case during those periods of time when the building is practically not occupied, for instance in the case of office buildings over the weekends and on holidays.

Therefore proposals have already been advanced to lower all of the shutters in such buildings prior to the occurrence of such non-occupied time priod and to provide for this purpose a centrally controllable motor drive for the shutters. However, this is an unsatisfactory solution insofar as by practising the same there would be also merely eliminated less intensive thermal radiation which would be suitable to assist the capacity or output of the climatizing installation and to relieve such of some of its load. Consequently, and particularly during the cooler periods of time of the year, the economies of operation of the climatizing installation would be likewise impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Hence, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved shutter device which is not associated with the aforementioned drawbacks and limitations of the prior art proposals.

Another and more specific object of the present invention is directed to the provision of a new and improved construction of shutter device which, even in the absence of operating personnel or the presence thereof but without requiring their particular attention, automatically enables first then and only then lowering the shutters when the external thermaland light radiation has attained an intensity which can produce an impermissibly or undesirably great change in the climatic conditions of each such respective room or area with which the shutter device is employed.

Now in order to implement these and still further objects of the invention, which will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, the shutter device of the invention is manifested by the features that there is provided a feeler or sensor which is sensitive to external thermaland light radiation, the feeler is oper atively coupled with the raising and lowering mechanism for the shutter, and such feeler then places into operation the raising and lowering mechanism for the purpose of lowering the shutter upon exceeding a predetermined radiating intensity.

A particularly advantageous simple constructional embodiment of the invention contemplates arranging as the feeler a transducer element at the outside of the shutter for shutters of relatively simple construction, namely those operating with manual drawing of the shutter, and wherein the feeler encompasses an actuation element which is movable as a result of thermal expansion of a material and by means of which it is possible to release the blocking of the manual draw mechanism.

The material can be enclosed in a piston-cylinder unit or in a bellows of variable length and can consist of either a gas, a liquid hydrocarbon or carbon tetrachloride, or however also can consist of a liquid which can be transformed, by thermal radiation into the vapor phase (for instance amonia or chlorofluoro hydrocarbons or halogenated hydrocarbons such as FREON") or a similar type wax-like propellant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above, will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawing wherein:

FIG, 1 is a schematic illustration in sectional view of a device incorporating a feeler for bringing about lowering ofa shutter, here constructed as a Venetian blind or lamellac or slat shutter;

FIG. 2 illustrates the device of FIG. 1 in a terminal position of the feeler in which after lowering of the shutter it also changes the inclination of the slats or la mellae of the shutter; and

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a modified construction of feeler for use in the arrangement of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Describing now the drawing, it is here initially mentioned that the exemplary embodiments depicted by way of illustration therein have been selected purely for purposes of explaining the underlying concepts of the invention and the mode of operation, and those skilled in the art will readily understand that depending upon the dimensions and requirements of the local room or area in question the arrangement and reference position of the different elements can be readily modified from that shown by way of example in the drawing.

Considering therefore the exemplary embodiments of shutter device more fully, it will be recognized that the upper portion of a window opening 10 has been depicted and this opening provides access to a room or area 11, the climatic conditions of the room being controlled by any suitable and therefore not particularly illustrated cliimatizing or air conditioning installation. As is conventional for such rooms the window opening 10 is closed by a fixed window 12, here shown as a double-glass construction. Hence between the outside area 13 and the room or area 11 there cannot occur any air transfer or flow through the window opening 10. The window 12 only allows light emanating from the sun S and the therewith associated infra-red heat or thermal radiation to enter the room 11.

At the inside of the window 12 there is provided a suitable shutter, here in the form of a Ventian blind or slattype shutter 14 consisting of a number of slats or lamellae 15 and a manual draw mechanism or manual raising and lowering device 16 which is guided over the rollers 17 and 18, the manual draw mechanism terminating at its lower end at a knob or counterweight l9. Along the course of the manual draw mechanism 16 there is provided a blocking device 20 in order to arrest the Venetian blind 14 in its raisedposition. The blocking device 20 possesses a stationary jaw 21 as well as a movable jaw 22 arranged at one end of a double-arm lever 23. At the end of the other arm of the double-arm Y lever 23 there is formed a cam 24 which engages at or with the end of a compression or pressure spring 25 which, in turn, strives to press the movable jaw 22 against the fixed or stationary jaw 21, and thereby to fixedly clamp the manual draw mechanism between these jaws 21, 22. In this regard it is to be observed that the movable jaw 22 is formed in such a manner that the same, even in the closed position, allows for drawing through of the manual draw mechanism 16 in the direction of the arrow 26 and therefore raising of the Venetian blind l4.

Continuing, at the region of the cam 24 there is arranged a feeler or sensor, generally designated in its entirety by reference character 27. This feeler 27, which for the sake of simplicity in illustration has been here portrayed as a cylinder 28 with a pistion 29 arranged to be lengthwise displaceable within such cylinder, possesses a surface 30 whichis exposed to the incident radiation and which is preferably constructed in such a way that its reflection capacity is minimum. Accordingly this surface 30 will heat-up or cool as a function of the incident radiation. Internally of the feeler 27 there is enclosed a material (not shown), the terminal expansion of which is different from the material forming the the piston-cylinder unit and is capable of displacing the piston 29. This material can be gas at a slight overpressure, a liquid with a comparatively high coefficient of expansion, namely a liquid hydrocarbon or carbon tetrachloride or else a liquid which under the influence of the temperature increase generated by the incident radiation can be transformed into the vapor phase. As examples of such liquids there are mentioned the following: ammonia (under excess pressure) or a mixture of different chlorofluoro hydrocarbon materials, as such are available on the market under the commercial designations or trademarks FREON or FRIGEN. An actuation element 31 is operatively coupled with the piston 29. This actuation element 31, during the course of its movement brought about by the piston 29, contacting the cam 24 of the lever 23 and displacing such cam against the force of the compression spring 25, and thereby raising the movable brake jaw 22 from the fixed brake jaw 21. This in turn releases the manual draw mechanism 16, so that the Venetian blind 14 can be lowered suddenly by its own weight.

As best seen by referring to FIG. 2, during a further expansion of the expansible material in the cylinder 28, the actuation element 31 arrives at a lever arrangement 32 which, in turn, acts upon the mechanism for adjusting the inclination of the slats or lamellae 15.

During a first operational phase and upon response of the feeler or sensor 27 the Venetian blind 14 is initially lowered, during which time the slats still extend horizontally, and during a second operational phase in the event that the radiation possesses sufficient intensity there is also adjusted the inclination of the slats or lamellaelS in such a way that the total effect of the thermal radiation upon the room or area is suppressed.

As soon as the intensity of the radiation which arrives from the outside reduces, then, the pistori-29 and therefore the actuation element 31 is retracted. This initially has the result that the original inclination of the slates 15 is again established and during further reduction in the intensity of the incident radiationthe manual draw mechanism or device is blocked. If the external incident radiation decreases further in intensity then the piston 29 is additionally retracted until it actuates, at the region of the end of its path of movement, a terminal switch 33 which switches-on an electric motor 35 via a supply line 34. The electric motor 35, as schematically illustrated, is operatively coupled via a free wheeling coupling 36 with a roller or roll 17 and drives such in the direction of the arrow 37. Consequently, the shutter 14 is again raised, and wherein conventional means, such as a switch, which has therefore not been particularly shown is provided in order to again switchoff the motor 35 after the shutter 14 has been raised.

Although in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 the feeler or sensor 27 has been depicted as a psiton-cylinder unit 28 29, wherein when it is filled with readily apparent that the feeler 27 could also be constituted by a hermetically sealed bellows 27 anchored at one end and at its other end connected with the actuation element 31 as shown in FIG. 3. Similarly the feeler could be formed essentially of an arrangement embodying a bi-metallic strip or an arrangement with a Bourdon tube, which arrangements on the one hand are constructed in such a fashion that without any appreciable inertia they tend to heat-up under the effects of the incident radiation and therefore are deformed,

this deformation being employed for actuation or re lease respectively, of the draw mechanism for the shutter.

With the construction of the feeler 27 as illustrated in the form of a piston-cylinder unit 28, 29 in order to hermatically seal or enclose the therein contained expansible material or substance, it is possible to arrange between the piston 29 and the wall of the cylinder 28 a roller membrane or diaphragm which is sealingly attached at its one end at the cylinder wall and at its other end at the piston.

While there is shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

Accordingly,what is claimed is:

1. A shutter device incorporating a shutter and a mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter, the improvement comprising feeler means sensitive to the external thermaland light radiation, the feeler means being operatively coupled with the raising and lowering mechanism in order to trigger the raising and lowering mechanism, upon exceeding a predetermined radiation intensity, forthe purpose of lowering the shutter, said mechanism including a blockable manual draw device for raising the shutter against its own weight, the feeler means comprising a transducer element containing an expansible material and arranged at the outside of the shutter, said transducer element incorporating an actuation element movable in direct response to the thermal expansion of the expansible material, said actuation element cooperating directly with said blockable manual draw device so that upon movement of said actuation element in response to the thermal expansion of the expansible material there can be directly released the blocking of the manual draw device due to the direct coaction of said actuation element therewith.

2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the transducer element comprises a bellows anchored at one end, the internal space of the bellows being hermetically sealed against the outside and the other end of the bellows being connected with the actuation element.

3. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the shutter is a Venetian blind having slats, said feeler means being coupled with means in order to change the inclination of the slats of the shutter after actuation of the mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter.

4. The device in claim 1, wherein the shutter is a Venetian blind having slats, the feeler means being coupled with means in order to change the inclination of the slats of the shutter after actuation of the mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter, the actuation element being displaceably mounted between a rest position and a terminal positon and during the course of its displacement stroke from the rest position said actuation element successively releases the blocking of the manual draw device and thereafter actuates the means for changing the inclination of the shutter slats.

5. The device as defined in claim I, further including a switch element, the actuation element upon assuming a rest position maintaining the switch element in its closed position and which switch element switches-on a shutter drive motor, which can be switched-off upon the shutter being raised, and said drive motor being coupled with the manual draw device via a freewheeling coupling.

6. A shutter device incorporating a shutter and a mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter, the improvement comprising feeler means sensitive to the external thermaland light radiation, the feeler means being operatively coupled with the raising and lowering mechanism in order to trigger the raising and lowering mechanism, upon exceeding a predetermined radiation intensity, for the purpose of lowering the shutter, said mechanism includes a blockable manual draw device for raising the shutter against its own weight, the feeler means comprising a transducer element containing an expansible material and arranged at the outside of the shutter, said transducer element incorporating an actuation element movable in response to the thermal expansion of the expansible material and by means of which there can be released the blocking of the manual draw device, the transducer element comprising a piston-cylinder unit having a cylinder compartment which is hermetically sealed against the outside and filled with a fluid medium constituting said expansible material, the thermal coefficient of expansion of which is different from that of the material of the piston-cylinder unit.

7. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the piston-cylinder unit is filled with a gas and constructed as a gas cartridge.

8. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the pistoncylinder unit is filled with a liquid.

9. The device as defined in claim 8, wherein the liquid is a liquid hydrocarbon.

10. The device as defined in claim 8, wherein the liquid is carbon tetrachloride.

11. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the pistoncylinder unit contains a substance which by radiation can be transformed into the vapor phase.

12. The device as defined in claim 11, wherein the substance is a liquid.

13. The device as defined in claim 11, wherein the substance is a wax-like propellant. 

1. A shutter device incorporating a shutter and a mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter, the improvement comprising feeler means sensitive to the external thermal- and light radiation, the feeler means being operatively coupled with the raising and lowering mechanism in order to trigger the raising and lowering mechanism, upon exceeding a predetermined radiation intensity, for the purpose of lowering the shutter, said mechanism including a blockable manual draw device for raising the shutter against its own weight, the feeler means comprising a transducer element containing an expansible material and arranged at the outside of the shutter, said transducer element incorporating an actuation element movable in direct response to the thermal expansion of the expansible material, said actuation element cooperating directly with said blockable manual draw device so that upon movement of said actuation element in response to the thermal expansion of the expansible material there can be directly released the blocking of the manual draw device due to the direct coaction of said actuation element therewith.
 2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the transducer element comprises a bellows anchored at one end, the internal space of the bellows being hermetically sealed against the outside and the other end of the bellows being connected with the actuation element.
 3. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the shutter is a Venetian blind having slats, said feeler means being coupled with means in order to change the inclination of the slats of the shutter after actuation of the mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter.
 4. The device in claim 1, wherein the shutter is a Venetian blind having slats, the feeler means being coupled with means in order to change the inclination of the slats of the shutter after actuation of the mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter, the actuation element being displaceably mounted between a rest position and a terminal positon and during the course of its displacement stroke from the rest position said actuation element successively releases the blocking of the manual draw device and thereafter actuates the means for changing the inclination of the shutter slats.
 5. The device as defined in claim 1, further including a switch element, the actuation element upon assuming a rest position maintaining the switch element in its closed position and which switch element switches-on a shutter drive motor, which can be switched-off upon the shutter being raised, and said drive motor being coupled with the manual draw device via a freewheeling coupling.
 6. A shutter device incorporating a shutter and a mechanism for raising and lowering the shutter, the improvement comprising feeler means sensitive to the external thermal- and light radiation, the feeler means being operatively coupled with the raising and lowering mechanism in order to trigger the raising and lowering mechanism, upon exceeding a predetermined radiation intensity, for the purpose of lowering the shutter, said mechanism includes a blockable manual draw device for raising the shutter against its own weight, the feeler means comprising a transducer element containing an expansible material and arranged at the outside of the shutter, said transducer element incorporating an actuation element movable in response to the thermal expansion of the expansible material and by means of which there can be released the blocking of the manual draw device, the transducer element comprising a piston-cylinder unit having a cylinder compartment which is hermetically sealed against the outside and filled with a fluid medium constituting said expansible material, the thermal coefficient of expansion of which is different from that of the material of the piston-cylinder unit.
 7. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the piston-cylinder unit is filled with a gas and constructed as a gas cartridge.
 8. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the piston-cylinder unit is filled with a liquid.
 9. The device as defined in claim 8, wherein the liquid is a liquid hydrocarbon.
 10. The device as defined in claim 8, wherein the liquid is carbon tetrachloride.
 11. The device as defined in claim 6, wherein the piston-cylinder unit contains a substance which by radiation can be transformed into the vapor phase.
 12. The device as defined in claim 11, wherein the substance is a liquid.
 13. The device as defined in claim 11, wherein the substance is a wax-like propellant. 